this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
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I think it's an issue that people are passionate about and the "discussion" just turns into some kind of political shouting match.
Like, it's actually been settled for quite some time: MOVING heat is more efficient than generating it or absorbing it through phase transitions. This study is just one more on a long parade saying the same thing.
What features and installation considerations exist for different climates? Do some manufacturers specialize in systems that excel in different circumstances?
I'd be surprised if they didn't. I'd be really interested in hearing who the premiere manufacturers are who design systems intended for use in Northern Canada. I'd be interested in who makes best systems for use in Phoenix. I can't imagine the same system is ideal for both places.
That's an interesting conversation to have. "Mine doesn't work good" "yes it does, fuck you" is tedious.
The crazy thing is I even left it open ended with a question mark, inviting people to enlighten me. And what I got is precisely what I wanted, along with a ton of downvotes like I was an ideologue or something. I'm an ideologue about some things, heat pumps not being one of them. Regardless, now I know that there are, in fact, heat pumps that are designed to work much better in cold climates than the one I have, and that there are plenty of cold-climate folks who find the performance of the heat pump to be sub-par in extra cold weather, requiring supplementary heat.
Right but efficiency doesn't mean it's better. Electric heat has always been 100% efficient, but that has not made it the most cost effective nor the best solution over far less efficient means of generating heat either. Efficiency isn't the only factor. The debates and critisms here are valid from what I've seen.
Personally, I'm not sold on them... maybe if I lived someplace warmer but living in Wisconsin, they are not for me. I've also seen that they require a lot more maintenence and are much less resilient compared to furnaces and central air units. I've watched plenty of installation and repair videos on them. Even the HVAC guys have issues with them in these terms.
The thing that blows peoples mind is that heat pumps are MORE than 100% efficient.
WWHHAATT?? WHAT ABOUT THERMODYNAMICS??
Heat pumps don't GENERATE heat. They move it.
In the same way that a locomotive can expend a few hundred gallons of diesel to MOVE a few hundred thousand, so can a heat pump MOVE more joules of thermal energy than it expends in the moving process.
Heat pumps are more complex then a natural gas unit, absolutely. Depending on what you're paying for energy, it's entirely possible it's not cost effective right now.
But,as the tech improves and energy costs increase, the break even point will eventually meet you, even in Wisconsin. If it's not for you right now, that doesn't make you a bad person.
But keep your eyes on it and don't write it off. I don't know how old you are, but it's still likely to end up the most effective choice for you at some point in your lifetime. Certainly in your children's.
Oh yeah, for sure, I keep an eye on all these types of things because at the end of the day, I'm a cheap bastard, and love long-term savings. I am going to go with the option with the highest positive expected value for me, but heat pumps are not there for my climate just right now. I'd be more then willing to convert over if that ever changes.